Researchers from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) have identified the key gene that determines the glycemic index (GI) of rice. This breakthrough will help breeders develop rice varieties with different GI levels, depending on the needs of the consumers. This would also pave the way towards the development of low GI food products based on rice.

According to IRRI scientist Dr. Melissa Fitzgerald, GI is the measure of the relative ability of carbohydrates in foods to raise blood sugar levels after eating. Dr. Tony Bird of CSIRO stressed that low GI diets can reduce the likelihood of developing Type 2 diabetes, and also help diabetics improve their condition.

When genetically modified Bt maize is cultivated, Bt protein enters the soil via root exudates, harvest residues and pollen deposits. If Bt maize is used as cattle feed, Bt protein could also enter the soil through liquid manure spread on the fields. Scientists from the Bavarian State Research Centre for Agriculture

This month, thousands of families lost their homes and soaked their crops when flood swept across Central America. Thailand also experienced heavy downpours causing flooding they have experienced for the last 50 years. These prolonged floods have caused losses in agriculture specifically by limiting the supply of oxygen that is needed by crops to thrive.

The Food Security and Land Research Alliance was launched at the UK House of Commons last October 26, 2011. The Alliance is supported by experts from Universities of Exeter and Bristol, and Rothamsted Research. It aims to establish the Southwest of England as a center of global significance in the field of food security and land research. To feed the world population that is nearly 7 billion, the Alliance prioritizes on the following projects:

According to the United Nations, the global population has now reached 7 billion. This implies that there must be greater efforts in addressing hunger and food security. In response to this report, Global Harvest Initiative (GHI) board chairman said,

Scientists at the USDA Agricultural Research Service have developed new rice varieties that offer new choices for U.S. growers and could expand market opportunities for the U.S. rice industry. The varieties were developed with the help of scientists from other institutions such as the Texas A&M University, University of Arkansas, Clemson University, and the International Rice Research Institute.

FAO's Food Outlook published recently an analysis of the Food Price Index. In their report, "the food price index dropped to an 11-month low in October declining 4 percent or nine points, to 216 points from September." The drops in prices were due to declines in international prices of cereals, oils, sugar and dairy products

The Argentina Ministry of Agriculture has approved for marketing Syngenta's Agrisure Viptera 3 in 2012/13. The triple stack trait provides broad spectrum control of pests of the family of the Lepidoptera

The genome of the Chinese cabbage is now completed and published in Nature Genetics. The report provides evidence that the large number of genes that regulate flowering time may have affected the many variations of crops under the brassica species.

Farmer and consumer agreement on the benefits of plant biotechnology in food production was found to be strongest in countries with high adoption of GM crops, according to the results of the BASF Farm Perspective Study.

A scientist from the Africa Rice Center in Cotonou, Benin, received the 2011 Japan International Award for Young Agricultural Researchers for spearheading the development of integrated weed management strategies for resource-poor rice farmers in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

A new grass family tree reveals how some grasses have evolved an efficient way of harvesting energy from the sun in hot, arid conditions. This new grass family was discovered by an international team of researchers who investigated how C4 strategy cam to be

Fao Report On Scarcity And Degradation Of Land And Water As Threat To Food Security

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A New FAO report State of the World's Land and Water Resources for Food and Agriculture (SOLAW) notes widespread degradation and deepening scarcity of land and water resources. These phenomenon have put the world's food production at risk and is expected to worsen with the effects of climate change.

Geneticists Explain Why Bitter Taste Perception Is Not Just About Flavors

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A team of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found the reason behind why some people find broccoli's taste to be bitter while the others not. It has long been perceived that preference for broccoli is based on cultured palate.

Following the success in the release of the first draft of the cassava genome from a CIAT accession in 2009, a new large scale collaborative project between the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)

Vietnam reports success in managing planthopper and virus outbreaks in the Mekong

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In the Mekong Delta the rice crops between 2005 and 2007 suffered heavy infestations of planthoppers and virus diseases. It was estimated that about 1.0 million tons of paddy were lost. The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) commissioned a scoping study to identify the key issues.

The Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) resequenced the genomes of 40 Asian cultivated rice accessions and 10 wild rice accessions in collaboration with research bodies such as the CAS Institute of Botany, Berkley University and Cornell University

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that the Government of Japan approved Rainbow papaya for commercial shipment to Japan. The Rainbow papaya is genetically engineered to be resistant to the papaya ringspot virus

Sixteen countries have recently signed the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity, which now has a total of 92 signatories